The Ninja Warrior of Haruhi Suzumiya
by cybersteel5780
Summary: A parody of Kunoichi (or Women of Ninja Warrior) combined with The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This story takes place after Remote Island Syndrome and replaces the Endless Eight sequel.**

**Originally completed in October 2011, 2013 revisions include Kyon telling us the story, additional dialogue, named chapters removed, and Tsuruya added to the story.**

**The events expressed in this fiction are those of the author. Characters related to TMOHS belong to Nagaru Tanigawa. All other characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons or outside anime characters is purely coincidental. References to obstacle courses and Mount Midoriyama are the sole copyright of Women of Ninja Warrior (Kunoichi).**

**Rated T for Minor Language and Crude Humor**

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

I don't know why Haruhi gets us into these mundane activities. Matter of fact, I don't even know—yet I do—why I have to be involved in them. I remembered the baseball game, that recent week of events on the island at that mansion, along with other activities that I could make a list and explain, but I really don't want to because I don't really have the time to make a list. Wow, that sentence was broad and wordy but I can't think right now. Let me explain on why I sound down, and worried...

I'm not at home enjoying what's left of my summer vacation like I should be. Instead, I'm halfway across the continent of Japan at an event where women are fighting to become Kunoichi (or what's called Women of Ninja Warriors for Americans). While I should be thrilled to see this event up close as I have on TV, I'm not because I am concerned for the girl that is on this rope about 47 feet from the ground. And this isn't just a normal girl either, it's _her_. The same girl that would make my life a living hell since the moment we met at the start of North High. Yes, I am talking about Haruhi Suzumiya... _Her._ She is on this obstacle called the Skyway Pole and it's the last obstacle before she can win Kunoichi. Only problem: there is a time limit and she has 15 seconds left on the clock! She said before the event started that the obstacles were easy and I had nothing to worry about, but yet there she is taking a moment to compose herself before ascending the pole at a moderate pace. The obstacle before this one, the Double Ladder Climb, had apparently tired her out, something unusual to happen to Haruhi despite her athletic abilities, especially since she got this far. If she doesn't make it to the top within the next few seconds, I have a feeling the apocalypse will begin shortly.

Should I also mention that I'm not the only one here at this event watching Haruhi climb that rope? Other than the large crowd that is around us cheering Haruhi on, Koizumi is to my left and has a concerned look on his face. Typically, I'd expect to see him smiling as always but he wasn't. He noticed that I was staring at him and he sighed before saying: "It appears that this stage is too much for Miss Suzumiya."

_ No shit Sherlock!_ Why do I sound rude? It's because there is a reason to be concerned when it comes to Haruhi. If you knew Haruhi, she does not like to lose at anything, _ever_. If she was to lose, a lot was at stake... and it wouldn't be the lost of losing out on Kunoichi, it would mean the end of the world, hint the fact on what I said about an apocalypse occurring soon. I along with the four others and the crowd were surprised to see her fly through the three stages earlier, but this last stage was taking a toll on Haruhi.

Regarding the "four others," Koizumi is not the only person here with me. In front of him are Nagato, Asahina and Tsuruya. Ironically, Haruhi forced these three to participate in this event as well, but things didn't go well for both of them and here they are, watching Haruhi climb this rope. Nagato was standing there in her monotone expression as always as she looked at Haruhi ascend the rope. Asahina was standing there with her fists balled as she watched Haruhi ascend, just 3 feet from victory, and Tsuruya was next to Asahina cheering Haruhi on. I had to warn Nagato, Koizumi and Asahina to not cheat during the competition. As long as there were no unusual events that occurred to the other participants though magic, time traveling or esper powers, Haruhi should be able to climb the rope on her own will.

Suddenly in the distance, there is the sound of an alarm in the background. And it's loud. It's the warning that time is running out. Haruhi was just 2 feet from victory and still straining to reach the top. I can see in the distance the countdown timer now at 10 seconds and counting...

9...

8...

7...

As the countdown is close to an ending, I hear the announcer yell, _"Suzumiya is close to victory! Will she be the next Kunoichi?"_ Haruhi had managed to ascend once more.

6...

5...

_4..._

_Come on Haruhi. I know you can do this,_ I thought, but that was the problem. Could she do this? And why were we at this competition in the first place? Well, let me take you back to two weeks ago, where all this began...


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The beginning of summer vacation was underway as I was enjoying another day at home with my sister as we were watching a baseball game. Since I ended up synthesizing for the underdogs, I found myself cheering with the losing team. With two weeks of summer vacation ahead, I had thought on what to do during my vacation, especially after that recent trip to that island, but I knew that a particular person would ruin it, causing me to participate in mundane tasks. I am talking about Haruhi Suzumiya. This is the same girl who got into my life since the start of high school, and got me into the "**S**preading Excitement all **O**ver the World with Haruhi **S**uzumiya **Brigade,**" or SOS Brigade for short. Since then, Haruhi has pushed the others and me through several ordeals since we began North High.

I mentioned about Koizumi, Asahina, Tsuruya, and Nagato earlier as "the others," but if you haven't heard my previous stories since the beginning of high school, then you're probably wondering the importance of these three including Haruhi and not including Tsuruya. If you do know, you can skip the next paragraph but if you don't, read on.

Koizumi, Asahina and Nagato are the other three members in our group that Haruhi created. Keep in mind that they aren't ordinary human beings like you and I. It started with Yuki Nagato, originally from the Literature Club, who revealed to me her existence as an alien, humanoid interface and her job to observe Haruhi, as she was the key to evolution. It followed with Mikuru Asahina, ex-member of the Calligraphy Club, who Haruhi forced into the group against her will. Her high sex appeal made her a mascot for the SOS Brigade to obtain resources... some of them _illegally_. She's here because of a time quake that was caused by Haruhi. And then there is Itsuki Koizumi, an always grinning esper who "mysteriously" transferred to North High to also observe Haruhi. His job is to protect humanity from giant beings in closed space, which Haruhi creates, for according to Koizumi and his agency is a God. If you're probably confused to this point, don't worry: I'm still trying to comprehend somehow.

As the game went into another inning, I heard my cell phone vibrate on the table. I reached for the phone to see who was calling me and nonetheless, it was Haruhi. _Now what does she want?_

Before I could answer, Haruhi was already speaking. "Are you doing anything today?"

And before I could answer that, she continued, "Good! Then meet us at the station at 9:30!"

And she hung up before I could even say a word.

_Here we go again, _I thought, _she probably wants us to search for paranormal stuff again._ You'd think after that trip to the island recently Haruhi would give us a break, but apparently that's not the case. After all, she was the one who wanted to find aliens, time travelers and espers and hang out with them, yet she didn't know these people were in her club. And although I had told her back in May she was hanging out with an alien, time traveler and esper, she didn't believe me.

As I went back to watching the game, my cell phone rang again. Again, it was Haruhi.

"Yes?"

"I forgot to tell you, bring money. Lots of money! Don't forget, those who are late get a penalty! Over and out!" The phone clicked.

I looked at the phone one more time before putting it in my pocket. It was five minutes before nine. "Well, I guess I have no choice then," I muttered to myself as I left my sister to watch the game alone.

I managed to get enough money—hopefully it was enough—and set out to the station. It wouldn't matter anyway. By the time I got there, everyone else would already be there and as always, I would have to pay for everyone's meal. Man, do I hate doing that.

However, as I got to the station 15 minutes early, Koizumi, Asahina and Nagato were there and Haruhi wasn't in sight. _Great, I don't have to pay this time, _I thought as I locked my bike to the rack_. _I wasn't paying attention when I noticed another girl standing next to Asahina as she along with Koizumi came towards my way. She introduced herself to me that time she played with us during that baseball tournament and was Asahina's friend.

"Hello, Kyon-kun!" Tsuruya said as she waived.

I waived as Koizumi walked towards me with that plastic smile of his. "Hello. It looks like you made it here before Miss Suzumiya," he said.

"Apparently, I was expecting to be late as usual." I said ignoring the fact that Koizumi was smiling.

Then out of the blue comes a particular voice: "Sorry I'm late!" We all looked in the direction the voice was coming from, the voice that belonged to Haruhi Suzumiya. As I was looking at Haruhi, I noticed a folded document in her hand. Because Koizumi was in front of me, he blocked my view from Haruhi and moved to the side when her energetic smile disappeared. I guess she wasn't expecting me to be here on time.

"Wow Kyon, you're here before me." she said with her arms folded.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Guess you'll pay for all of us today." I guess I made her grumpy because I had a smirk on my face. "Hmph! Fine, whatever." Haruhi said.

As she and Tsuruya said hello, she got back to the document in her hand, which was two documents as Haruhi unfolded them and handed them towards us to see. "Here take a look at this!" she says with the documents facing me.

I take the documents out of her hands and look at them as Nagato, Asahina, Tsuruya and Koizumi brunched up behind me to take a look.

One document was colorful, had the words "KUNOICHI" written on the top, followed about information on participating, and rules on the bottom. The words "Midoriyama, Aoba-ku, Yokohama-shi, Japan" were in bold on the bottom. The second document was a letter sent to Haruhi about approval for the group participating in the event. I reread the second document again and did a double take when I saw the sentence "_SOS Brigade is approved to participate in Kunoichi_."

Wait a minute! Is she...

"Don't worry about that," Haruhi said as she snatched both documents out of my hands when she noticed how my face was in shock from the approval letter. I should have expected it, but Haruhi's face was glowing. She cleared her throat and then said, "I had some ideas for us to do over the summer, but a while back I saw this show called Kunoichi."

Saying "Kunoichi" must have triggered a fuse within Tsuruya. "I know Kunoichi! What about it?" she said.

Haruhi continued, "It's a championship where hundreds participate to become like a ninja warrior. Each contestant goes though four stages and if one wins in the end, that person wins the title of Kunoichi! So I looked up Kunoichi and found a form to fill out to put us in and I got a letter today saying we are in the championship. All we have to do is train and we'll be in Kunoichi! This is going to be so much fun!" she said as she started to jump up and down.

If there was a glow around Tsuruya's face, I missed it as she was thrilled in participating with us for whatever Haruhi had gotten us into. But as Asahina asked Haruhi what did she mean by "train," and while she was explaining it to her, I was thinking about my remembrance of this show. The one I remember was the one where men compete for the title to Sasuke, which was for male ninjas. I recall some of the Kunoichi shows where women participated but hadn't seen many of them, as they were re-runs of old episodes. I did know that contestants engaged in four stages to reach the last stage, and the last one to make it to the end not only won the championship, but also won 2 million yen in prize money. Another thought was the age limit for those eligible for Kunoichi.

But my thoughts were interrupted as Haruhi spoke loudly when she said, "So I added our group into the championship and heard yesterday we got approved! Oh, and me, Mikuru, Tsuruya and Yuki are the contestants for the championship!"

So that's how she's doing this.

To my left, Koizumi is clapping his hands as always when he supports everything Haruhi does, whether it was stupid or worthless. To my right, Tsuruya excitedly has her arms extended in the air, Nagato nodded her head a millimeter as she didn't have anything to say, and Asahina squeaked when she heard her name. "B-But Suzumiya… I don't know if I can do this..."

"Don't worry Mikuru," Haruhi said as she wrapped her arm around her, making her feel uncomfortable, "I'll teach you this week. But for now, we need to train hard! That means _all _of us, including you two!" she said as she pointed towards me and Koizumi. Why would we have to train in a female competition?

Asahina let off a whine. Not only would Haruhi force her to participate, but she would eventually force her into another costume for the Brigade's purposes based on this competition.

I sighed, and then looked up to say, "So when are we going to attend this event?"

"Next week!" Haruhi announced.

_ Too soon! _"You mean we're going to train this week and then go to this place for this championship?" I asked.

"Yep!"

Unlike the past activities Haruhi got me and everyone else to join in—baseball, a trip to an island, and other things—_this_ was way out of proportion. That's typical of Haruhi, but a string of questions floated around my head as she started talking again. No, I take that back... Originally, I wondered how we would get there to participate in this event but remembered that somehow Koizumi must have had something to do with this. And again, he fails to tell me anything. He must have pulled strings with his organization to allow this Brigade to join. Alternately, watching too much Kunoichi on TV must have made Haruhi wish for us to participate in that championship and she received a letter stating we had a go. As for Tsuruya, I think she's just tagging along with us.

As I lost my train of thought, Haruhi was talking again. "I know of an athletic facility nearby where we can train to become ninja warriors! Let's go!"

"And who's paying this time?" I asked, noting that I got here first before Haruhi. But that wouldn't have mattered anyway, and I should have remembered to shut up.

"You as always. It doesn't matter if I got here late, you always pay." Haruhi said with a smirked hmph.

I sighed.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Come on Mikuru! You can make it to the top! Stop stalling!" Haruhi yelled at the girl hanging on the rock-climbing wall 15 feet from the ground.

"Eeeeeeeeeek!" Asahina screamed with her eyes closed as she clutched the rope, refusing to climb another foot. Tsuruya only laughed.

We were at an athletic facility on the other side of town. According to Haruhi, this would be the best place to train for Kunoichi. I don't know how she came up with that idea. Those who participated in that show trained for months and almost years to get a shot at winning. Haruhi, Asahina, Tsuruya and Nagato only had _one week_ to train, but I decided to keep my mouth shut and let Haruhi do what she pleases since it was her idea.

Although all six of us were scattered around the facility on fitness machines, Haruhi earlier had to find a place that carried fitness wear. It would have been better if Haruhi had said in advance that we needed sportswear before we reached the facility, but she later declared, "We need the best high priced fitness wear. Not what our school has or what we have at home." She found a store, proceeded to buy herself, Nagato, Tsuruya and Asahina fitness appeal, and ordered _me _to pay for myself and Koizumi. At least she was conservative in selecting what the girls wore. While Haruhi donned in shorts and a yellow shirt, Nagato wore a blue fitness shirt and black tights, Tsuruya wore a white and black plaid golf skirt with a black PUMA top and Asahina had on a white fitness bra and matching tight pants of the same color. Despite her large chest, she looked cute in the outfit, especially since Haruhi had took the time to dishevel her long hair into two large pigtails. She was looking good but I had to remember not to admire her beauty or Haruhi would get pissed.

As Asahina continued to scream and cause a commotion, I along with Koizumi were lifting weights nearby at the weight bench while Nagato was running on a treadmill nearby. I took a break from lifting weights to observe the commotion caused by Asahina. Haruhi and Tsuruya had managed to climb the 20 to 25 foot wall with ease, but lacking the fact that all this "training" and sports equipment was new to the time traveler, scowling her wasn't helping Asahina climb the high wall any faster. A trainer who had enough of Haruhi's yelling helped the teary Asahina down from the rock-climbing wall, and then proceeded to yell at Haruhi for making such a ruckus. After Haruhi assured the man she wouldn't do it again, she declared that it was time for a break.

I have to admit that I have never worked out this much for some event. I remembered how tired I was when I woke up this morning, but if Haruhi continued to push us to work out for another three hours, I'd pass out. Asahina shared the same panting look as she tried to catch her breath and Koizumi wasn't smiling as always, probably because he was tired too. Tsuruya appeared worked up instead of worked out, Nagato didn't seem to sweat and Haruhi still had energy with no signs of fatigue. I still wonder how that girl gets her energy. It would be nice if she shared it between her brigade members.

As we were by the vending machines for our first break—15 minutes, don't laugh—we snacked on candy and gulped down water, which really didn't help out. As always, I was stuck with paying for everyone's snacks. At least this was better than the expensive café near the station but... aw shit. It just dawned on me! If we're training here for an entire week, not only am I paying for snacks, I have to pay the membership fee for us to work out here too! _Damn you Haruhi!_

After managing another three hours of working out, followed by some people impressed that Nagato could run the treadmill beyond 10 miles per hour in flat, uphill and downhill modes, we all changed back into our normal attire and boarded the train back to Kitaguchi Station. It was already close to nightfall when we got back.

After departing the train, Haruhi gave a speech covering the rest of our week before we departed our ways and went home. "I'll see everyone tomorrow here. Don't forget to bring your fitness clothes, and remember to work out at home. No slacking!" She said, and then trotted towards her house as if she hadn't jogged in a marathon. The remaining five of us shared our tiring and departing looks and went home. Today was Sunday, and we had six more days of training. I recalled that Haruhi said that the event began next Monday and we would set out next Sunday in advance.

We worked out for the entire week at the facility. Koizumi took over in paying for the membership fees, as I had to cover for the snacks. Haruhi must not understand that my family is not wealthy by me paying this much. It was another day on Wednesday as we were at the facility again working out. I along with Tsuruya ran on a treadmill, Nagato was at the bench-pressing machine lifting what appeared to be three times her weight; Haruhi this time was assisting Asahina to climb the rock-climbing wall again, and Koizumi went out to run on the interior oval track. As break time came, Koizumi pulled me to the side to explain how we, or more importantly _he_ had planned to get us to the event. As always when it came to any event, Koizumi had a plan.

"My Agency made special arrangements to help us get to the event," Koizumi said, "It's just southwest of Tokyo. They will cover for the expenses regarding the trip, lodging and everything else. You won't have to worry about paying for anything since Miss Suzumiya always consider you to pay for everything. That would be way too expensive. Plus, I already told her in advance how we would get there."

_Next time, tell me in advance also, _I thought. All I could say was "Thanks." Of all the time I continued to think about this trip, I began to wonder how Haruhi would react if she failed the championship. As I stated before, she doesn't like to lose at anything, and while contestants on that show completed several stages to move onto the other stage, those who failed a stage were disqualified.

"Does she know that if you are eliminated in the process of Kunoichi, you lose indefinitely?" I asked Koizumi.

"If she has seen the show, I would say that she knows." he responded.

_I hope so too_, I thought. With break almost over, I was about to head back in to stress myself out again with the fitness machines when I had to ask Koizumi about Haruhi and Closed Space. With her strong determination to participate in this event, I would assume she would be energetic and not in her melancholic state, which would have severe consequences as I witnessed a few months back.

As always, Koizumi smiled before he began talking. "Everything is fine since our last outing a while back. She doesn't have nightmares like she used to... well that was before she told us about this event, but other than that, there have been no major events. I would assume this event has cheered her up."

"Is it possible she wished for us to participate in this championship? Or do you or Nagato have something up your sleeve?" I asked. Usually, between this esper and the alien, either of them could have some say in this event other than Haruhi wishing for it, but if they knew anything, Koizumi would babble about it in a long discussion, and Nagato would explain in confusing scientific dialogue.

"It seems that Miss Suzumiya is confident in winning," he began, "Plus, she won't be the only person in this championship that could lose. We would still have Miss Nagato, Miss Asahina and Miss Tsuruya in the competition..." Koizumi couldn't finish the sentence because he knew Haruhi was always willing to win. For Nagato, Tsuruya or Asahina to win and Haruhi to lose out would probably make Haruhi upset. He continued. "But then again, I am confident that Miss Suzumiya would win."

He had said "confident" twice, and based on his statement, he was betting on Haruhi to win. Speaking of which, that reminded me about something else.

"Hey, if we're going to be in this event, we can't cheat. I mean, you, Miss Asahina and Nagato can't cheat. I'm sure Haruhi could win but we shouldn't help her win. If she is _confident_ as you say she is, she can do it by herself."

"We wouldn't interfere." He said as he shook his head and crossed his arms with that same smiling face.

Before I could say anything else, Haruhi interrupted me with her yelling from the entrance. "What are you two doing?" she yelled. We had been outside for longer than 15 minutes, enough to make Haruhi irritated. "No time for talk, we need to train! Train!" She said, pushing me towards the entrance back inside as Koizumi followed. _I can walk you know._

We trained all the way to Friday, where Haruhi said we could take a break Saturday to pack and rest before we would set out on Sunday morning. Still, I had worries that Haruhi might not win this championship, and I anticipated the worst if all of them lost, or Haruhi didn't win and someone else did. Of course, Haruhi is doing this to make her Brigade popular to the world—yeah, _world_. Haruhi didn't like to lose, but if she did, we would have a serious problem along with the rest of the world.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Here Mikuru! Read this." Haruhi said as she gave Asahina a magazine about Ninjas. Delighted to see the magazine, she began to read the magazine. I'd assumed she didn't know what ninjas were before Haruhi brought it up last week.

Thanks to Koizumi's organization, the six of us were sitting in first class on the upper deck of a 747 on the way to Tokyo, which was 30 minutes away as the captain said earlier over the intercom. I ended up sitting next to Koizumi while Haruhi and Asahina were sitting together on the other side. Nagato and Tsuruya were sitting together: the former reading another book while the latter listened to music. Koizumi told me before we boarded the plane that someone would drive us to where the event would take place before taking us to a hotel.

Haruhi had been so happy since we took off an hour ago, that she appeared more energetic than she did when we went to that island just a week ago. I guess I wouldn't have mind another trip away from home, but I wonder with this competition Haruhi is getting us all into that there won't be any unexpected issues.

The plane touched down that afternoon. Haruhi was so eager to get off the plane and see the place up close. As we got into the terminal, there was an older man with a sign saying "SOS Brigade" at the end of the ramp. It was Mr. Arakawa, who was the butler during the outing to that island and Koizumi's taxi driver. He must be related to Koizumi's Agency somewhere. Haruhi recognized him and gave the greetings as if he forgot who we all were with exception to Tsuruya, who was new to him. After exchanging hellos and loading the luggage into a van, we then drove to the place just southwest of Tokyo. It took another hour in a half to reach the place due to heavy traffic. When we finally reached the place, Haruhi and Tsuruya were eager to get out of the van to see this "Kunoichi" up close. It looked like an amusement park but was scattered with tons of obstacles. "There are the Dancing Stones!" Haruhi said as she grabbed Asahina's wrist and ran towards the obstacle. _Seriously Haruhi, do you have to drag her in tow every time?_ Me, Koizumi, Nagato and Tsuruya followed them to the obstacle.

I had seen Kunoichi and Sasuke on TV back home, but never thought I would witness the course before me. It almost looked small on TV but this was huge. I also saw Mount Midoriyama in the distance, the last stage where contestants there had to ascend this mountain of steel to win. Was Haruhi capable of climbing that thing? Better yet, would she be able to make it far enough to climb it?

As Haruhi was marveling the course, I saw that that more people were coming in. Today was one of the events as I found out from Koizumi. "Today is one of the events. I made arraignments for us to see what this was about." he said into my ear. I didn't even notice he was by my side until his face was close to mine._ Sheesh man! Now isn't the time to get manly-friendly!_

While we continued to marvel the surrounding course, the voice of a girl came from behind me. "Hey are you guys participating in this event?" We turned around to see two girls. The one on the right was an American with long blond hair and had freckles on her face. She had on a white tracksuit with a small American flag on it, and she appeared to be the one who spoke, as her Japanese was understandable. The girl next to her had red hair in a bun with long hair to her back, wore a black PUMA tracksuit and a petite body frame like Asahina's, with exception of having a "big" chest.

"Why yes," Haruhi responded, "I'm Haruhi Suzumiya, leader of the SOS Brigade! This is Mikuru and Tsuruya, that's Yuki, and that's Itsuki and Kyon." I looked down to the ground. _Did she have to include "SOS Brigade" in that statement?_

The American girl's eyes widened and the Japanese girl covered her mouth to hide her snickering. I guessed they thought Haruhi was joking or didn't know what she was talking about or couldn't believe what she had just said. "Ok," said the freckled girl, trying not to laugh. "I'm Marion Willard. I'm from the United States."

"And I'm Nanako Kawabe," said the red haired girl. I noticed she was looking towards Tsuruya either because of her long green hair or because of some other reason. "I'm from Chiba. Pleased to meet you all. Are you guys in the event for today or on Monday?"

"Monday," Haruhi replied.

"Cool, it looks like we will be competing against each other." Marion said. She heard someone call her name behind her and noticed her group was trying to get her attention. Nanako's group was signaling for her to come over. "Well, it was nice to meet you guys."

"You too" Koizumi said.

Marion and Nanako bowed and ran back to their groups.

"It looks like you have met your competitors Miss Suzumiya." I said.

"I see." Haruhi said, "Well everyone get close, I have an announcement!"

We brunched up around Haruhi as she told us about today and reminded us about tomorrow's championship. "There is an event occurring today. I want us all to see what they go through so we can know what to expect. Me, Mikuru, Tsuruya and Yuki are participating in tomorrow."

She then addressed me, "Kyon, you and Koizumi get boards ready to represent us for tomorrow. I want everyone to notice us."

_ I'm sure you want everyone to notice us Haruhi. _As me and Koizumi went to find discarded boards and markers, Haruhi took the other three girls with her to check in for tomorrow's event and fill out the necessary paperwork before the event began.

For the rest of the day, we joined the mass group of people who would watch today's event of Kunoichi from the stands. Kunoichi consisted of 100 competitors. Of the 100, all had different backgrounds of athletes, important figures and other things. Many came from different parts of Japan while a fourth of them came from international countries. That probably explained the meeting with the American earlier. Haruhi thought she recognized one of the Japanese competitors who was a pop singer in that popular girl band from Hiroshima. As the event was getting underway, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one, but you could feel the hype in the atmosphere. This was going to be a very interesting competition.

As the first stage got underway, we observed firsthand how opponents raced across the first stage. Of the 100 contestants, only 40 had managed to get through the first course. The failures that caused elimination of the other 60 competitors were the Dancing Stones, the Balance Bridge, the Barrel Roll, and the Slippery Slide. Most failed at the slide due to competitors failing to land on the cushion barrel in time or overshooting the barrel and falling into the pond. Haruhi took careful note of each obstacle and made sure Asahina, Tsuruya and Nagato were paying attention.

The second stage began after an hour break. With 40 competitors, only 15 had made it through the second stage. The Triple Hurdle caught a majority off guard, including the pop singer Haruhi recognized, while some fell off the Spinning Log. The environment continued to get tense.

As night began to fall, the third stage began. Of the 15 competitors, only _three_ managed to make it though. The Super Vault was easy for some, but most succumbed to the Domino Hill. I wondered how Haruhi would be able to complete that obstacle, let alone Nagato, Tsuruya and Asahina. The remaining three competitors—a grocery store manager, a well-known doctor and a local newscaster—began to get ready for the final stage.

The final stage, which occurred on Mount Midoriyama, involved the ascent of a Wall Climb, followed by climbing a Skyway Pole. Haruhi knew that the Skyway Climb would be in the competition on Monday but the Wall Climb would not be there. That's what an official told her before the first stage began that afternoon. Stages 1 through 3 would remain the same on Monday, but the final stage would be changed. The doctor was able to make it to the top before time expired, but the newscaster and grocery store manager fell off the pole after tiring out. The crowd roared in cheers and shock from both competitors. We didn't get the name of the woman who won but I learned later that her daughter would complete on Monday. As an official interviewed the doctor, the girl with red hair was standing next to her. The same girl that introduced herself to us was Nanako Kawabe.

As it was getting late, we all packed in the van and headed to a nearby hotel for the night. Since Haruhi assured me she was only working me and Koizumi out and we weren't in the event, I sighed some relief. However, I was still concerned that if Haruhi didn't win, we would have a problem on our hands. Koizumi had expressed high confidence in Haruhi throughout training but I had my doubts. Would she be able to win this competition? I surely hoped so.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"_Today before us, 100 competitors stand before us as they have accepted the challenge to become Kunoichi!"_

That was the announcer as the event got underway. Several people in the stands and on the obstacle course cheered. Near the large obstacle course, Koizumi and I watched as the girls from all backgrounds cheered towards the crowd. Earlier, Koizumi had found another piece of cardboard and scribbled "SOS Brigade" on it. As he raised his sign in the air as a way of cheering Haruhi, Asahina, Tsuruya and Nagato on, I stood there with the other sign leaning against my ankles and my arms crossed. _Haruhi sure was dead serious about this championship wasn't she?_ At least all Koizumi and I had to do was stand by the edge and cheer them on since we would not have to participate. I made a sigh as a stranger walked up to me after taking note of the sign and asked, "What is this SOS Brigade?"

"You would have to ask that girl standing on the carousel." I said as I pointed towards the girl in yellow and black.

The girls, Haruhi, Tsuruya, Asahina and Nagato, were in their fitness appeal with other girls on the carousel named Windmill Cross. While all of them were cheering while an aerial camera recorded them, Nagato appeared motionless. The stranger who was looking at her tilted his head. "She doesn't seem interested in this event." He said as he pointed towards Nagato's direction.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure she's interested in this event." I said.

As I looked closer, I noticed that each of them wore a red armband on their left arm with a nickname written in Japanese, probably something of Haruhi's doing. Haruhi's read "WARRIOR," Asahina's read "BUNNY GIRL," Tsuruya's read "NYORO~N," and Nagato's said "QUIET BIBLIOPHILE." I guessed she or they made those when we weren't around. I also remembered to warn Asahina, Nagato and Koizumi to not cheat or alternate the dimensions during the competition. It would be awkward for something unusual to happen here, especially if it involved the SOS girls.

The event would begin momentary and the rest of the girls got off the obstacle course and proceeded to the rear of the start of the course. I took one more look at the sheet of paper that covered the obstacles courses for each stage Haruhi, Asahina, Tsuruya, Nagato and the other girls would endure:

**FIRST STAGE:**

Dancing Stones, Windmill Cross, Balance Bridge, Barrel Roll, Angle Run, Hop Rocket, Vertical Limit, Slippery Slide, Escape Ladder. Time to complete: 105 seconds

Prior to standing on the obstacle course so the television network would record the girls on the obstacle course, all girls had to pick a number out of a bowl to determine who would go first to last. Haruhi had picked 15, Asahina picked 51, Tsuruya had 60 and Nagato picked 73. The recognizable red head girl who was Nanako Kawabe would follow Haruhi, and the American girl Marion Willard would go before Asahina. A lot of officials and TV reporters were converging on a particular girl who I later learned was an athlete as she was walking towards the start line. The girl was a foreigner and had shoulder length black hair. I thought I overheard one of the reporters asking the athlete a question.

"You were in Kunoichi and almost made it to Mount Midoriyama a year ago. Do you think you will win?" asked a female reporter with the mike almost close to the athlete's face.

"I hope to win this time. I've prepared for months and I'm ready to make it and take the challenge of Mount Midoriyama!" said the athlete. Her name was Hamsini Hranmaya. She was a regular of Kunoichi and a native from India. The time she was last here, she had made it through the first and second stages, but failed the third stage after she fell off the Domino Hill. She would start after Nagato.

The course was now set for the competition and each was given a go. The first 14 girls went before Haruhi. Of the 14, only five managed to get through. It was now Haruhi's turn.

"_She is the head member of the group 'the SOS Brigade!' Here's Haruhi Suzumiya! She is really set to win with the words "WARRIOR" on her arm!" _yelled the announcer. Many in the crowd cheered.

Haruhi took a moment to yell "SOS Brigade!" before carefully stepping through the Dancing Stones with ease. The countdown was underway as she stepped on the stones. On both edges of the course, several cameramen followed Haruhi. On the Windmill Cross, Haruhi jumped on, walked carefully over to the other side and hopped off towards the Balance Bridge. She remembered how competitors failed here on Sunday by walking on the side of the bridge, causing them to fall into the pond below. Haruhi took big leaps and made it past the Balance Bridge. So far, 83 seconds remained on the clock. She was making good timing. The Barrel Roll was next. As she got onto the Barrel Roll, she almost lost her balance but managed to even out and carefully moved her feet to get the barrel going. As the roller stalled within three feet of the ledge, Haruhi jumped off, managing to land on the ledge with her feet and carried on. The Angle Run was very easy and she cleared the Hop Rocket with ease. The Vertical Limit didn't stop her but she took a moment to compose herself for the Slippery Slide. She set herself up on the slide and went forward, timing herself correctly when landing on the cushion barrel below. She took careful ease not to fall off the narrow ledge towards the Escape Ladder. She began climbing up the almost 10-foot high ladder slowly but began to pick up speed. She made it to the top and slapped the buzzer in time with only 25 seconds left on the clock. _Haruhi was determined to win wasn't she_? I thought as the crowd cheered. She ran over towards me and Koizumi. "Did you see? I made it though!" Haruhi said with her eyes glistering. She didn't even break into a sweat.

"Oh yeah, you wowed the crowd." I said.

"Excellent, Miss Suzumiya." Koizumi said.

Both the red head girl and the American made it through the first course along with seven other girls before it was Asahina's turn. Already standing at the beginning of the obstacle course, she looked nervous. "Come on, Mikuru! We trained for this! I know you can do it!" yelled Haruhi who was standing to my right. Of course, Haruhi could do anything, but could Asahina?

_"Next in the competition is a high school student from Osaka and second member of the SOS Brigade! Mikuru Asahina! I see she has 'BUNNY GIRL' on her arm! I wonder what she looks like as a bunny girl!" _said the announcer. His jokes started to sound sarcastic and dry. I looked down and shook my head. _No... The announcer wouldn't want to see her in a bunny girl outfit._

As the clock began its countdown, Asahina took the Dancing Stones obstacle slower than the last competitors did. She made it though, but it took her 30 seconds to complete that obstacle. Next up was the Windmill Cross. Asahina walked faster this time and managed to jump across the gap to continue onto the Balance Bridge. She almost hesitated at the foot of the bridge but got going and made it across, almost losing her footing in the process. Now was the Barrel Roll. The clock continued its countdown from 64 seconds. She took careful ease to get onto the barrel, but before she could even herself out, the barrel began to roll forward. Asahina tried to navigate her footing but lost her balance midway and fell backwards into the brown pond, making a big splash. Her failure to stay on the barrel eliminated her from the course.

"Aww! Oh, come on Mikuru!" Haruhi yelled nearby. Her face showed disgust.

"_Asahina has fallen off the Barrel Roll. The Barrel Roll outsmarted the Bunny Girl!" _said the announcer.

Upon the moment she fell in, I ran over towards the pond where Asahina was making her way to the edge. An official had already beaten me there and was in the process of helping her from the pond. I had hoped the hard fall hadn't hurt her. Koizumi and Haruhi also came towards the pond but not in a hurried pace as I did. The official had already helped Asahina out and wrapped a large towel around her. He released her to us as she slowly approached us with a sour look on her face. Her orange hair that Haruhi pigtailed into two ponytails earlier clung to her back; her fitness clothes that were bright white were now damp and the color of faded brown. Luckily, they weren't transparent.

Koizumi who was standing next to Haruhi had shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well at least she tried." Haruhi on the other hand had her arms crossed and still had a disgusted look.

Asahina almost broke into tears as she faced Haruhi. "I-I'm sorry Haruhi. I didn't mean it." she said.

Although Haruhi had an upset look, she sighed and approached Asahina to hug her, causing her to jump. "It's okay," Haruhi said, "But you looked funny falling off that Barrel Roll!"

After Asahina's elimination came nine other competitors to complete the first stage, with only three passing to the next round. When it was Tsuruya's turn, she got onto the platform and stretched her arms forward before going into a short dance by shaking her head forward and back like a rockstar while playing an imaginary guitar.

_"Here is another high school student from Osaka and SOS Girl number three! Known as NYORO~N by her armband, she's known for her athletic abilities and kung fu. Here's Tsuruya!" _the announcer yelled. Her green hair was in a ponytail as she wore the black PUMA top and plaid skirt outfit. Next to Asahina, she was also adorable.

Three chimes and a longer chime was an indication for Tsuruya to go. Without hesitating, she got onto the Dancing Stones, as she gradually stepped on each stone until she got to the end and jumped on to proceed towards Windmill Cross. Crossing the windmill carefully, she approached the Balance Bridge and took three big forward leaps, preventing the bridge from toppling over before moving onto the Barrel Roll. It was here that Asahina fell off earlier. Hopefully, Tsuruya would know how to maneuver the barrel. With careful ease, she got onto the Barrel Roll and almost lost it while trying to get the barrel to move forward. With Tsuruya and the barrel moving forward before it stalled, she managed to make a big leap for the ledge, landed on the platform, and ran towards the Angle Run. At 69 seconds left, she ran along the angled slope and landed on the cushion, before she moved towards the trampoline to jump over onto the other platform, and took the Vertical Limit in two seconds. She took a second to compose herself before attempting the Slippery Slide. She aimed carefully for the cushion barrel and landed on it dead center, before taking the narrow path towards the Escape Ladder. As she was near the final obstacle and had just left the narrow path, Tsuruya tripped face forward on the platform with a mere few inches off the side. She used her hands to protect her face as she almost slid towards the edge. Had the path been narrow or slippery, she would have easily fallen into the pond.

_"Oh that's close! She almost lost it there!"_ yelled the announcer.

Getting back on her feet, she approached the ladder and began to climb. She looked tired but it didn't stop Tsuruya, as she climb it rapidly, desperately wanting to reach the top. When she reached the top, she slammed the buzzer with her hand and extended her hands in the air in celebration. She made it with 30 seconds left.

The crowd cheered and Haruhi was screaming loudly in excitement as Tsuruya went on to be a finalist for the second stage with her. As Tsuruya made her way back down, she approached Haruhi and they hugged jumping up and down. It was then that Tsuruya noticed Asahina.

"Did you see me! I can't believe I made it!" Tsuruya said as she placed her hands on Asahina's shoulders.

Asahina nodded as she smiled but Tsuruya noticed that Asahina's outfit had slightly changed in color. Her clothes and hair were still damp despite the high humidity in the heat.

"You didn't make it Mikuru-chan?" Tsuruya asked.

"I didn't," Asahina responded shyly, "I fell off the Barrel Roll."

Tsuruya hugged her—causing Asahina to jump again—and told her that she did get to experience the course. She went to Koizumi to speak and then came to me.

"What do you think Kyon-kun?" she asked, her face getting close to mine, "What do you think?"

I tried not to hesitate. "You're very tough" I replied. I tried not to speak too openly; for some reason, Haruhi was looking at me funny.

With Haruhi and Tsuruya finalists, 13 opponents attempted the stage with only seven competitors becoming finalists for stage two. When her turn came up, the girl standing there motionless at the start of the course with no emotion was Yuki Nagato.

_ "The fourth member of the SOS Brigade, here is another high school student from Osaka! Yuki Nagato! I guess we could call them the SOS Girls! I wonder why they called her the 'Quiet Bibliophile'? What does she have to say before the start of the race?"_

"..."

Yep, she was mostly the quiet one.

As the countdown began, Yuki raced the entire course with no hesitation or stalling. She glided past the Dancing Stones in three seconds, she was on and off the Windmill Cross in an instant, and followed Haruhi's method of the Balance Bridge to get across. She carefully glided the Barrel Roll, rushed through the Angle Run and landed easily from the Hop Rocket before running up the Vertical Limit without assistance. She timed the Slippery Slide carefully, and navigated through the narrow path to the Escape Ladder and ascended the ladder in five seconds before hitting the buzzer. She went through the first stage in 27 seconds—A new record.

_ "Wow! Yuki Nagato set a new record for the first stage. Just 27 seconds?! How does she do it?!" _The announcer along with the rest of the crowd and other competitors and I myself were shocked; several with their jaws wide open. The shock then turned to a loud applause. I continued to stand there with my mouth open as I couldn't believe it. Koizumi and Asahina were clapping while Haruhi and Tsuruya were jumping up and down cheering Nagato as she walked towards us. "How did you manage to get through the course so easy?" Haruhi asked.

"With ease." Nagato said in her monotone voice.

The competition ended after 20 more competitors including Hamsini Hranmaya completed the first stage. As the last person miscalculated the jump from the Hop Rocket and landed in the pond, only 47 competitors including Haruhi, Tsuruya and Nagato made it through the first stage. Because Nagato completed the first stage faster than the others, she would be first on the second stage. Although Haruhi had an average time, she would go somewhere in the middle after Tsuruya. The red head (Kawabe), the American (Willard) and the Kunoichi regular (Hranmaya) were also completing against them. It was approaching the afternoon and it was time for a break as officials prepared the second stage.

**FIRST STAGE RESULTS (Seconds left)**

**Yuki Nagato 78.0 seconds**

Marion Willard 32.7 seconds

Hamsini Hranmaya 31.1 seconds

Tsuruya 30.5 seconds

Haruhi Suzumiya 29.1 seconds

Nanako Kawabe 27.9 seconds

* * *

><p><strong>AN: If you are having trouble pronouncing Hamsini Hranmaya, here is how you say her name:**

**Hi-my-she-knee Her-ran-ma-yah**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**SECOND STAGE:**

Super Jump, Triple Hurdle, Spinning Log, Floating Bridge. Time to complete: 35 seconds

Nagato was standing on the mattress-like platform with her hands on the side railings, ready to proceed as she waited for the moment to go. The Super Jump involved competitors to ride the platform down a slope that ended in a ramp, where the competitor would jump to land on a small cushion before attempting the Triple Hurdle. Me, Koizumi and Asahina were near the course as we waited for Nagato to start. Sure enough, after the sound of chimes and the clock began its countdown, she went down the slope and caught good airtime from the ramp to landing on the cushion. As like in the first stage where she didn't hesitate, she proceeded onto the Triple Hurdle—a series of hurdles positioned over water with trampolines between them—and without taking a moment to assess, she jumped onto the first trampoline, which launched her onto the first hurdle. She then jumped onto the second trampoline to reach the second hurdle before jumping the last trampoline to reach the last hurdle. The Triple Hurdle only lasted Nagato seven seconds to complete.

"_This girl is fast!" _said the announcer, _"She's one of my favorites!"_

Nagato ran along the Spinning Log with ease without tripping or losing her balance. The last obstacle before her was the Floating Bridge, a series of floating logs that gradually sank once stepped on. She continued to pace along the bridge, as if the logs were somewhat sinking as she stepped on them, and made it across before hitting the buzzer with her hand. She completed the course with seven seconds left to spare.

The crowd once again cheered Nagato on. It looked as if the "Quiet Bibliophile" would be the one to win this contest instead of Haruhi or anyone else.

For the first time ever, I was kinda surprised when Koizumi not only clapped, but whistled towards Nagato. Apparently, watching girls cross a difficult course had made him pumped. "You did good Miss Nagato!"Koizumi said

"Yes." Nagato said.

"You are getting good at this Nagato." I responded.

"Yes." she said again.

After Nagato, other opponents tackled the course with none becoming a finalist for the third stage. The American, Marion Willard, would have been able to make this stage only if she hadn't slipped off the second hurdle after landing from the trampoline, as she went into the pond belly first. The favorite one of them all, Hamsini Hranmaya, was the only one to make it to the finals with Nagato, as she went through the course with 6 seconds remaining on the clock. A few others including the red head, Nanako Kawabe, would go after Haruhi, but Tsuruya was next for the course.

Before Tsuruya got onto the mattress-like platform, she started to look nervous. I saw her sigh before she got on and hold on until the sound of the chimes. She released herself after the chime and when she got close to the end, she jumped. As she jumped, her legs were extended forward as if she would miss the cushion, slide off and into the pond. Instead, she did land on the cushion, but not on her feet and landed on her behind, almost going over.

"Ugh!" Tsuruya yelled as she fought to get up and jumped onto the next platform to start the Triple Hurdle.

_"That was a close one for Tsuruya!"_ said the announcer.

"Come on, Tsuruya!" Asahina yelled cheerfully. _Even Asahina is pumped!_

She proceed onto the first trampoline to jump to the first hurdle, almost lost it on the hurdle and jumped onto the second trampoline to recover, made it to the second hurdle, jumped the last trampoline and made it onto the third hurdle. Upon landing on the third hurdle and heading towards the Spinning Log, Tsuruya nearly tripped forward but used her hands to recover and jumped up the stairs to the log. By now, she was at 15 seconds left and had to hurry. A second to compose, she ran along the log, but the moment she got on and I think she made a wrong step, the log rolled rapidly. Tsuruya lost her balance midway and attempted to catch the platform ledge, but she bounced off while screaming, and landed backwards in the pond.

_"Oh no! The kung fu master is all soaking wet!"_ yelled the announcer.

Earlier, Asahina had failed first stage, and now Tsuruya failed this course, putting a damper on me, Koizumi, Asahina and Nagato. Of course, Nagato didn't seem to show any expression, Asahina let off a depressing whine, Koizumi made a "thinking" pose, and I crossed my arms while shaking my head. An official near the edge helped Tsuruya out of the pond.

She approached us, as her hair that was earlier in a ponytail was clung down her back to her legs. She used the towel the official gave her to dry her hair.

"Are you okay Tsuruya?" Asahina asked concerned.

"Yeah," she replied, her tone suggesting she was upset. "Ooh, I was so close! Haru-nyan is going to be mad at me."

"I'm pretty sure she won't be." I said, but if she doesn't make it, Nagato will be the only finalist.

Two SOS girls down, one moving on, one left.

Two more competitors attempted the stage and failed. It was now Haruhi's turn as she steadied on the platform. After three chimes and a long chime, Haruhi let go of the railings and forced the platform to slide down the slope. Reaching the end of the slope, she made a good jump, but almost like Tsuruya, she nearly missed the cushion. She got on her feet and got ready for the Triple Hurdle. She took a moment to assess what was before her before jumping the trampoline and landing carefully on the first hurdle. She took careful steps and jumps with the remaining trampolines and hurdles, but it ate 10 seconds of her time. She ran across the Spinning Log and almost lost it again after flipping forward from the log. With 13 seconds left, the remaining obstacle was the Floating Bridge. I noticed that Haruhi was beginning to tire from the course and looked agitated, which got me worried that she might misstep and fall through the Floating Bridge. Before I could ask Koizumi or Nagato their opinions, I saw that Haruhi had sailed across the Bridge, taking quick careful steps, before hitting the buzzer on the other side. She finished the round with 5 seconds left.

"_This warrior is doing very good! She has lots of confidence!"_ said the announcer.

As she stood there at the finish, despite her near misses on the course, she jumped off the platform onto the ground and walked towards us as she looked down at the ground. I sensed something was wrong.

"You did good Miss Suzumiya." Koizumi said.

"Yeah, whatever." Haruhi said irritated as she walked by us. She wasn't smiling as she was earlier and stopped when she saw a wet Tsuruya standing next to Asahina.

"You didn't make it through Tsuruya?" Haruhi asked.

"I didn't Haru-nyan. I fell off the Spinning Log." She replied sadly.

"Did you?" Haruhi asked Nagato.

"I made it through." Nagato replied.

Haruhi made a frustrating sigh and continued towards the vending area. I ran over her to stop her. "Hey Haruhi, are you okay?"

She stopped in front of me. "I almost messed up! I was really confident in myself for this course. I could have fallen over! And now Tsuruya is out of the competition.

She got worked up for the near misses from the Super Jump and the Spinning Log, not to mention that she and Nagato were the only ones still in the finals. I hadn't seen a difference in her athletic ability. For what I've seen so far, she was doing good, and she was at average this time.

"Haruhi, you're doing great." I said. I don't know why, but I put my hands on her shoulders... I guess as an attempt to cheer her up. Now wasn't the time to be mad, especially with that face that resembles a mean spoiled brat. She should be having fun. "Don't give up now. You've gotten this far, and you will make it onward." I continued.

"Hm." Haruhi said as she took in what I said. Then it dawned on me. _Oh crap. I don't think I should have said that._ Saying that midway into the competition now could jinx Haruhi from even winning.

Her once mean spoiled brat face lightened into a growing smile. That's when she put her hands on my shoulders and got close to my face, almost making me nervous. "I know I'll make it to the end."

She moved away from me to face Koizumi, Asahina, Tsuruya and Nagato who had been listening in.

"And I'm sure we will win this championship! We must if we want the world to know the SOS Brigade! Come on Yuki, let's take a break!"

_She did have so much confidence._ As she and Nagato went away to take a break, I walked up to Koizumi and Asahina while the crowd erupted in cheer. Nanako Kawabe had made it through and became the fourth finalist. Tsuruya was watching her jump up and down in celebration.

"Is everything okay with Haruhi?" I asked Koizumi and Asahina. They both took glances at each other to decide who would speak first. Koizumi took over.

"It appears Miss Suzumiya expected to go through this obstacle course with no problems. The Super Jump and the Spinning Log made her look weak but she was able to conquer the course. Miss Suzumiya did get upset that she didn't do perfectly well on the Super Jump and Spinning Log, not to mention Tsuruya dropped out of the competition, but thanks to your encouragement, she is smiling again and ready to move on to the next course. I think that's what she needed to move on, especially from you." His smiling face was starting to irritate me but I sighed.

"Oh no! Oh…" Tsuruya said loudly before a scream followed by a loud splash rang out from the course as me, Koizumi and Asahina were near the Super Jump. The scream made Asahina flinch. Another competitor overshot the cushion and landed hard into the pond.

"_Oh Miss Tanaka has hit the pond! The dancer has wet her feet and is out of the competition,"_ the announcer yelled.

The stage continued until the last competitor became a fifth finalist, making five people including Haruhi and Nagato eligible for third stage. I watched as officials and reporters interviewed Nanako Kawabe with her mother—the doctor who participated in Saturday's event—near the course as others were constructing the third stage. It would be another hour before the third stage was complete. In the distance, other officials were preparing Mount Midoriyama for the final stage.

It felt a little humid as the sun was setting and nightfall was approaching. I turned to face my team, as we were all eating snacks while Tsuruya, Haruhi and Asahina were talking about old reruns of Kunoichi back home. Something Tsuruya said about opponents falling into the pond or failing to finish a stage made Haruhi turn to face Asahina.

"I still can't believe you Mikuru." Haruhi said

Asahina squeaked. "W-W-What do you mean?"

"You couldn't make the Barrel Roll in the first stage?"

"Hey now, Suzumiya. Lay off," I said, "At least she tried."

"Oh what do you know?!" Haruhi snapped, pointing her half-finished candy bar at Asahina. "She didn't train hard enough. I told you had to train harder to be a ninja warrior!"

_Good grief._

As Haruhi continued to pick on Asahina for failing in the first stage, an older man and a young boy approached us. The little boy had a notebook and a pen in his hand.

"Pardon me," said the older man, "but could this little guy get your autographs?" He was asking for the autographs of the girls.

I looked surprised as Koizumi smiled on. "Why sure!" Haruhi said as she took the young boy's book and began to sign her name. Each girl signed her name as Nagato quickly wrote hers and Asahina wrote hers in cute handwriting.

"Here you go." Asahina said as she handed the book and pen back to the young boy. He bowed his head, said thank you and both he and the older man walked away.

I glanced at the old man and young boy as they walked away, then went back to face Haruhi, who for some reason was in my face, almost nose to nose.

"Wha... What I do now?" I asked, almost breaking into a sweat.

"You're smirking again!" she said.

"Huh?" I asked. My reaction caused Tsuruya to burst out laughing.

Haruhi was now picking on me for eyeballing Asahina when she wrote her name. _Why do you have to be jealous Haruhi?_

**SECOND STAGE RESULTS (Seconds left)**

**Nanako Kawabe 8.4 seconds**

Yuki Nagato 7.2 seconds

Hamsini Hranmaya 6.4 seconds

Haruhi Suzumiya 5.1 seconds


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**THIRD STAGE:**

Super Vault, Domino Hill, Pendulum Bridge. Time to complete: 90 seconds

Five contestants stood before the third stage obstacle course. In starting order from left to right was Nanako Kawabe, Yuki Nagato, Hamsini Hranmaya, Haruhi Suzumiya and Takako Miyagi. These five girls were in the running to win Kunoichi. All these girls had to do was survive the third stage before moving onto the final stage. The one who completed the final stage would become the third female Kunoichi (ninja warrior). The atmosphere was intense as night fell on the course. Those who had been in the stands now surrounded the course. It had been a challenging eight hours since the first stage this morning. The girls then bowed to one another and walked to the front of the obstacle course. Nanako Kawabe would be the first to start the course while the other four would wait their turn. The crowd remained quiet as the third and final stages required extensive concentration.

The red head girl from Chiba started as she pole-vaulted from platform to platform on the Super Vault. Accomplishing the Super Vault, she began to walk the long Domino Hill obstacle. The competitor would have to cross a series of 40 vertically standing dominoes without touching any of the dominoes with their hands or be disqualified from the course. Kawabe took her time as she crossed domino to domino. She got to the middle of the course before almost losing it but managed to balance herself. She continued onward as she got to the end of the course and made her way towards the Pendulum Bridge. The bridge, a narrow footing, plank-like bridge that moves back and forth when walked on, was the last obstacle for Kawabe. She crossed the bridge slowly as the structure was moving back and forth. As she was close to the end, her left foot slipped in front of her and she lost her balance, plummeting straight into the pond below. Nanako Kawabe wouldn't be able to make the final stage.

"_Ah no! Ah no, Kawabe is out of the competition! The Pendulum Bridge has taken its first victim!" _the announcer's voice boomed in the air. A lot of "aw's" and "oh no's" ringed in the crowd. Her mother who was watching her from the sidelines burst into tears.

Next up was Yuki Nagato. I became worried because Nagato had managed to race through the first and second stages with no problems. If she went too fast on this course, particularly on Domino Hill or the Pendulum Bridge, she could fail the hill or fall off the bridge. I took a sigh and watched as Nagato got prepared to run the course. Many people in the crowd who were very interested in her than the other opponents since the first stage balled their fists and were smiling, hoping that this new person would make the course. As a noise rang out indicating that time was counting down, Nagato took the Super Vault in a quick swoop. She easily pole-vaulted over the first pond and made it over the second pond. Next was Domino Hill. Again, with no hesitation, Nagato walked quickly over the obstacle and looked like she would make it to the Pendulum Bridge. But as she was over the halfway point, the back of her right foot was off the edge of the previous domino, causing her left leg to go upward. Losing her balance and keeping a straight face, she fell backwards and went down between the dominoes to the ground. The soft cushioning between the dominoes stopped her fall, but Nagato was eliminated as a finalist for the last stage.

The competitor before her, Kawabe, had received a lot of aw's from the crowd, but the crowd erupted in louder aw's. Many stood with shock on their faces. The announcer couldn't believe it. _"Oh no! The Domino Hill has also defeated the Quiet Bibliophile! I can't believe it. The crowd can't believe it!"_

The faces of me, Koizumi, Tsuruya and Asahina fell into shock. "Oh, Nagato." I said as an official was trying to help her out of the course. Koizumi who had been smiling earlier now had a sad face. Asahina also showed a sad face but closed her eyes and put her hands together, and Tsuruya shared a similar look like I had. Yeah, this was bad. That only left Haruhi, the _only_ SOS Brigadier to complete the course. I looked towards the entrance to the course to see if Haruhi had watched Nagato fall but didn't see her. Then I saw her appear from the entrance as she saw the official help Nagato out of the course. A look of shock showed on her face.

I struck Koizumi's arm to get his attention. He saw Haruhi standing there with shock on her face. Asahina and Tsuruya who appeared in mourning looked up and noticed Haruhi standing there. We all became worried with the following problem: how would she respond to Nagato failing the course?

Haruhi told an official she would be back as she ran over towards Nagato. Nagato was walking towards Haruhi. "Yuki, what happened?" Haruhi asked.

"I fell." Nagato said.

Me, Koizumi, Asahina and Tsuruya ran over towards the two.

Haruhi didn't know what to say. The look of shock remained on her face. Now wasn't the time for Haruhi to suddenly give up. She still had a chance.

Surprisingly, Nagato interrupted the silence. "You must continue the course."

Haruhi looked at Nagato, as her face of shock had slightly faded.

"Haruhi." I said.

She looked at me. "I understand this is tense, but you must continue. I…" I wasn't the only one who wanted Haruhi to finish, so did her team and the crowd. She _had_ to continue. "_We_ want you to continue." I finished.

A reporter came up to the group to conduct an interview with Nagato. She stared at me, making an indication that asked if she should proceed. I allowed her to talk with the reporter.

"Okay, I'll finish." Haruhi said. "We must win this championship!" She ran back towards the starting line.

With three competitors remaining, Hamsini Hranmaya managed to complete the course with 10 seconds remaining on the clock. She completed the Super Vault, took her time with Domino Hill and made it through, and carefully crossed the Bridge before becoming a finalist for the last course. That left Haruhi Suzumiya and Takako Miyagi. Haruhi was ready to conquer the course.

"_The warrior is here! The only member of the SOS Girls to survive. Will Haruhi Suzumiya make this course? The crowd and her Brigade is counting on her!" _said the announcer.

Haruhi showed confidence in her face and took a sigh before setting herself up the platform to start. With Nagato out of the competition and the only SOS Bridger left, it was up to her to win. The familiar noise that was the sound of the start of the countdown rang and Haruhi ran forward, pole-vaulting over the first pond. She composed herself and pole-vaulted over the second pond, landing carefully on the last platform. Moving forward, she reached Domino Hill, the same course that took most competitors by surprise, including Nagato. She took her time as she stepped from domino to domino. She was three-fourths of the way there... Halfway there... _Almost_ there... She stepped on the last domino before jumping on the platform in front of her to complete Domino Hill.

"Yes!" Koizumi and I said has she headed towards the Pendulum Bridge. Asahina and Tsuruya were cheering Haruhi on.

45 seconds remained on the clock. She stepped onto the bridge, causing the bridge to move forward and backward. She concentrated and slowly moved across the narrow winding bridge. The bridge was eating at Haruhi's time. At 20 seconds left, Haruhi was midway on the bridge. She began to move faster and almost lost her balance but stabilized and moved slower. At 10 seconds left and the alarm starting to make a wailing sound, Haruhi was at the end of the bridge and quickly jumped off onto the platform before falling and hit the buzzer in time. She completed the course with 9 seconds left.

"_Haruhi Suzumiya is the second finalist! She will proceed to Mount Midoriyama!" _The sound of the announcer's voice boomed through the air as the crowd had cheered and erupted in applause. Haruhi had completed the course. Haruhi jumped off the platform and jumped up with both hands in the air. She didn't show worry, agitation or disgust but was happy. She was almost close to winning. That is, if she could win the _last_ course.

The fifth and final competitor, Takako Miyagi, attempted the course but like Kawabe at the beginning, she lost her balance on the Pendulum Bridge and fell over. That meant there were two finalists for the final stage. Another break was called as officials continued to make preparations for the final course on Mount Midoriyama. Haruhi took time to hang out with us one more time before getting ready for the course.

"Miss Suzumiya, are you ready for the final course?" Koizumi asked.

"You bet!" said a loud and energetic Haruhi, "We've come this far in the competition. Well... I have, but the crowd loves us! We'll show the world who the SOS Brigade really is! I told you it could happen. Right, Kyon?"

Haruhi knew from the moment she dragged her fellow Bridger's to the station last Monday that she was set to win this championship. And I may have and still have my doubts, but since Haruhi is known for being intelligent, athletic and talented in almost everything, she could make it.

"Kyon, were you listening to me?!"

_I lost my train of thought. _"Yes Haruhi." I sighed.

"Well, I got to get ready," Haruhi said, "Prepare those signs you guys! Get ready!"

Haruhi ran off to prepare herself as Koizumi collected the handmade signs we created earlier in the day. I felt that someone was watching us and I looked to my right and noticed Hranmaya's group staring at us. The other finalist, along with her group looked towards our way, some with worry and unpleasant faces. Hamsini Hranmaya looked towards me with a disgusted look on her face. I turned away. The tense environment grew as the crowd moved closer to the tall steel structure for the final stage.

**THIRD STAGE RESULTS (Seconds left)**

**Hamsini Hranmaya 10.2 seconds**

Haruhi Suzumiya 9.4 seconds


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**FINAL STAGE ON MOUNT MIDORIYAMA:**

Double Ladder Climb and Skyway Pole. Time to complete: 35 seconds

I looked up at Mount Midoriyama, a 50 to 70 foot high structure made of steel. _A competitor has 35 seconds to complete this, _I thought. The remaining two competitors, Hranmaya and Suzumiya, would have to climb a challenging 33-foot double ladder, and then ascend a 16-foot pole (or rope), all in under 35 seconds. The event we attended yesterday consisted of the Wall Climb and Skyway Pole. I recalled that Haruhi had told us they would replace the Wall Climb with another obstacle for Monday but didn't know what the obstacle was for they couldn't tell her. Now looking at the Double Ladder Climb, it looked challenging than the Wall Climb.

"Do you think she'll make this course?" That was Asahina in a concerned voice.

"Haru-nyan should," Tsuruya said, "She's very tough."

"I don't know. I know how energetic and athletic she is, so..." I answered trailing off. I was concerned myself. I just hope those earlier words of encouragement won't cause her to lose. I asked Koizumi, "What do you think Koizumi?"

Koizumi probably would have gone into a five minute bickering of covering the course and then talk about Haruhi's desires before ending it about how Haruhi would react, but simply said, "If she's very confident, then there shouldn't be problems." He took me aside so Tsuruya wouldn't hear him. "There is no need to use powers to help Suzumiya win this obstacle course, as it would endure cheating." At least he, Asahina and Nagato knew not to cheat since I had told them not to.

As Tsuruya and Asahina were talking among one another about Haruhi, I signaled for Nagato to come over. I asked her quietly if she thought Haruhi could make the course.

She responded with, "According to the dimensions that are currently present, there is an unknown chance that Haruhi will or will not win the competition." She said.

Me and Koizumi stared at Nagato with confusion. "And the percentage between the two?" I whispered.

"I cannot determine." she responded.

_Not a very encouraging thought._

"What are you guys doing?" Tsuruya said. We looked as she was standing there with her hands on her hips with a sort of a smirk. Asahina was to her left. "Kyon-kun and Koizumi-kun, stop keeping secrets! You too Nagato-chan! We all have to watch Haruhi climb this thing."

Hamsini Hranmaya was strapped in a safety harness below Mount Midoriyama and was ready to hit the course. She showed confidence in her face as she looked up the mountain wall of steel. The Double Ladder Climb and Skyway Pole combined was a 50-foot ascent, equivalent to that of a five-story building. The crowd wrapped around Mount Midoriyama while Hranmaya got ready to ascend the obstacle. Near the obstacle, a noise rung out, indicating the start of the countdown. She began climbing the double ladder up to the top. She was within two feet I think to the midway mark with 24 seconds left. As she was closing in to the top of the ladder course, she began to show signs of fatigue and started slowing down. She was breathing heavy, and sweat poured from her face. The minor break to catch her breath cost her 5 seconds, leaving her with 16 seconds left on the clock.

At 14 seconds, she reached the Skyway Pole and began the long climb. However, she wasn't looking good. Of course, this was Hranmaya's first time at Mount Midoriyama, as it would be Haruhi's, but the Double Ladder Climb had worn her out. She took another quick breath and continued climbing up the pole. Down below, a loud buzzing noise began to sound, indicating that time was running out. She had 12 feet left of the pole to ascend before she reached the landing at the top. As me, Koizumi, Tsuruya, Asahina and Nagato, the crowd and Haruhi nearby watched her get close to approaching the top, she took one more climb up, then her head tilted back, and she let go of the pole. The crowd gasped as Hranmaya fell down but the safety harness stopped her fall. A look of disgust showed on her face as she was screaming and appeared to be crying. She managed to reach the chance at being a finalist, but the course defeated her.

"_She lost her balance!"_ yelled the announcer, _"Hamsini Hranmaya is out of the competition!"_

Hranmaya's group turned to sad faces and teary eyes. The girl had trained all her life to make it to the end and almost did but lost the chance. No one knew if she wanted to tackle Kunoichi again. As they were now preparing to get Hranmaya back to the ground, people murmured among each other about Hranmaya's failure to complete the course. Moving away from the subject of Hranmaya, people began to murmur about the final competitor, Haruhi Suzumiya. I could hear several people murmur about who was this girl who represented the SOS Brigade. The crowd knew of the regulars who participated in this course: Kawabe, whose mother won over the weekend, was unable to match her mother in the competition. The Kunoichi regular, Hamsini Hranmaya, who failed third stage a year ago managed to make it to the end but failed again. There were others and then there were outstanding ones such as Yuki Nagato. Nagato's performance was something neither the crowd nor the television network had ever seen before, and now was this mysterious girl with the yellow ribbon in her hair that had "WARRIOR" on her left arm. Would she be able to become the third Kunoichi?

"_The tall structure above Haruhi Suzumiya is Mount Midoriyama. Will she be able to defeat the mountain, or will the mountain crush her dreams as a warrior?" _The announcer's voice boomed over the air.

Haruhi Suzumiya stood between the two ladders of the Ladder Climb in a safety harness. The crowd drew closer to the steel structure that was Mount Midoriyama. She stood there like a wrestler ready to fight against his opponent. Her eyes appeared glistering; the light wind was blowing the ribbon in her shoulder length hair. She had managed to find another armband to place on her left arm below the "WARRIOR" band, this one with the words "SOS BRIGADE" on it. The familiar sound that told competitors the clock was counting down rung. It was time.

35 seconds and counting. Haruhi steadily placed her feet on each ladder rung and began the ascent up the ladder. She was taking her time slowly but went faster as she ascended the course. She was doing good until midway up, her left foot slipped off the ladder, causing her to almost fall off. In the process, her left wrist banged against one of the ladder rungs hard. "OW!" I heard Haruhi yell. She grunted as she managed to use her now sore left hand to grip the ladder rung to prevent from falling. The crowd gasped. She took a moment to compose herself and proceeded up the ladder.

24 seconds remaining. Haruhi had ten feet of ladder left to climb. The confidence that was in Haruhi's face earlier was starting to show agitation and despair. She was trying to climb once more but had to stop. The countdown continued. She took a glance at her left hand, and then proceeded to continue up the ladder, just one foot from the top; the timer was now reaching 20 seconds.

I along with our group and the crowd saw pain in her face. The near fall had either sprained or seriously bruised her left wrist, and it was starting to slow her down. _Come on Haruhi,_ I thought to myself. Neither sickness nor a sprained or bruised wrist would stop Haruhi. She had too much confidence, too much energy, and too much damn determination.

She had completed the Ladder Climb and was now beginning to ascend the Skyway Pole. She was 16 feet from victory, but had 15 seconds to reach the landing or lose. Another yell, probably from determination or the burning pain in her wrist came out of Haruhi as she strained to climb the pole. This wasn't good. She stalled again and looked as if she was going to let go. 13 seconds left, 14 feet from victory.

I began to worry. I overheard Koizumi say that the course was too much for Haruhi. _No shit Sherlock!_ I thought, but I considered his statement as an excuse. _Come on Haruhi, don't fall. Don't you dare fall!" _If she fell, it wouldn't be good not just for the SOS Brigade, but for the world as well. Haruhi managed to ascend another three feet.

A familiar sound that didn't tell good news was buzzing loudly. It was the sound from the siren, indicating that time was running out. Haruhi had to hurry or she would lose the championship.

10 seconds left. Haruhi struggled up the pole once more. She began to breathe heavily, as sweat began pouring from her hair into her face and eyes blinding her. She shook her head, clearing the sweat from her eyes and continued climbing, determined to reach the landing. 9 seconds remain.

8 seconds left. The faces of the crowd below her started to show worry. Many had their fist balled and were chanting "SOS Brigade" repeatedly. Some were clapping to the words.

7 seconds left. The announcer who was beginning to sweat got nervous. He felt that feeling in his stomach that this determined girl was likely not going to make it. _"Suzumiya is close to victory! W-Will she be the next Kunoichi?!"_

6 seconds left. Haruhi was just five feet from the landing. The burning pain in her wrist was getting too much. She clenched her eyes shut and let out another yell that was drowned out by the chanting crowd below. She opened her eyes again and saw the landing clearly in front of her.

5... 4... 3...

_Come on Haruhi! Don't stop! _I was shaking out of control as if I was going to have a stroke and pass out. Koizumi's jaw dropped and his eyes started to get big, Asahina's face showed shock, her balled fists started to open out. Tsuruya was chanting and clapping "SOS Brigade" with the crowd, and Nagato stared at Haruhi as she ascended, her face showing no emotion whatsoever.

_2..._

Haruhi, still clinging to the pole, made it over the hole of the landing and slapped the buzzer hard with her right land. She had to grip the pole with her sore hand, screaming as she tried to find the correct place to hit the buzzer. She had made it to the top with _one second left_. Immediately hitting the buzzer, she quickly switched hands so she could rest her left wrist on the landing. Haruhi was beat, was almost on the verge of passing out, and I think she wanted to get off that pole.

The large crowd of people, past competitors and officials jumped and yelled loud after watching the young girl make it to the top, 50 feet above them. The announcer had made another comment about Haruhi's win over the air. The fear of the almost apocalypse of the world caused me to collapse on my knees and let out a loud sigh. _She made it,_ I thought, _Dammit Haruhi! I hope you don't do this shit again! _The stress had got to me too much. She was a second close to _losing_. It got dark around me as Tsuruya, Koizumi, Nagato and Asahina ran up to me. Me passing out must have scared them.

"Kyon? Are you alright?" Koizumi said.

"Kyon-kun! You okay?" Tsuruya said, trying to help me to my feet.

Asahina covered her mouth and Nagato stood by.

"Yes I'm fine, yes I'm fine." I said repeatedly. I managed to get back up with assistance from Tsuruya and Koizumi and look up at the girl, the same one who I constantly nagged about being a pain in my ass, who was at the top of Mount Midoriyama. 50 feet above at the landing, Haruhi was still panting hard. She was already on the landing, clenching her right hand over her sore and burning left wrist and looked below at the crowd that was cheering her on. I noted an official who heard her yelling in pain on the way up came to her aid.

She spoke to the official, probably about her wrist and he ran to the side to another official to get something for Haruhi. As I continued looking up, Haruhi got up and looked over the railing at the crowd below cheering her on. As the sight of hearing that, she began jumping with her fists in the air. The crowd only got louder. Haruhi had won their support. She noticed us in the crowd and pointed towards us. Over my panicked meltdown, I jumped up and down along with Tsuruya as Koizumi and Asahina clapped and cheered. Nagato continued to look like a stiff vertical statue. _Oh Nagato. If only you could clap, cheer or jump up and down, that could add character._

**FINAL STAGE RESULTS (Seconds left)**

**Haruhi Suzumiya TOTAL VICTORY**

* * *

><p>After an hour of interviews and other competitors meeting with Haruhi, along with Nagato, Tsuruya and Asahina, we managed to get back to the hotel to celebrate. As for the incident that happened on the Ladder Climb, Haruhi had only sprained her wrist and it was nothing serious. Her wrist was in a temporary cast and expected to heal soon. It would soon be a prized cast as many competitors, including Hamsini Hranmaya, Nanako Kawabe and Marion Willard had signed on her cast with their names and small notes. I learned from Haruhi that the event was televised, but wouldn't be out on TV for a few months until they started a new season. The event had made Haruhi special, and luckily she didn't seem to jump into a into a melancholic state. When asked by Tsuruya about what she would do with the 2 million yen prize—I found out later that she won it in a monthly annuity earning, not that it was my business—Haruhi said she didn't know what to do with it since she was only in for the championship. She had thoughts about donating it to a good cause.<p>

_Hey Haruhi, all that money I spent helping the Brigade? You sure you couldn't pay back a fellow friend?_

It was almost approaching 11pm when Koizumi excused himself, leaving me with the girls. After four minutes of party chat, Koizumi came back in and asked me to come with him for something. I excused myself as we went to the lobby to sit down and have a chat as he called it. I don't know why, but I think whatever it was, it was very important.

"Are you surprised?" he asked.

"Surprised about what?" I responded.

"That Haruhi won Kunoichi and that we all are still living? If I remember, you were concerned that she wouldn't win."

"I think we were all concerned that she wouldn't make it."

I tried to read the expression on Koizumi's face. There had to be a reason we were down here having a discussion. "What about you? You were pumped when Nagato went through the second stage."

He smiled. "I guess I got out of character. But that's not why I brought you down here."

_Uh-huh._

"There was something you wanted to tell me. What was it?" I asked.

"Remember last Sunday I told you that the Agency made special arrangements for the event?" he responded.

"Uh, yeah. What about them?"

"I wasn't completely honest about you about a few things."

_So that's what it was._

I suspected he somehow cheated. "I thought we agreed on no cheating." I said in a whisper.

"We did, and after the events and Haruhi's victory, I am actually impressed myself. But what I was going to tell you was that I didn't help Haruhi win through my esper powers, nor did Miss Asahina or Miss Nagato, but rather a secret entity helped Haruhi win."

_A secret entity?_ _That still sounds like cheating! _I looked at him confused.

He continued. "You specifically told us not to use our powers to help Haruhi cheat. That meant our organizations could not interfere, but watch. However, someone else might have helped Haruhi win. Can you guess who that was?"

I reviewed our day at Kunoichi. Haruhi is just a normal girl with abilities, so the only way she could help herself win was her own determination. I don't count since Koizumi himself said I was a normal human. And if Nagato didn't use her magic, and Asahina and Koizumi didn't use their powers, then...

My jaw dropped. He had to be kidding. There was no way Tsuruya could have helped Haruhi cheat, but if that were the case, then how did she do it?

He must have read my mind because he said, "Well, Tsuruya doesn't have the capability to use powers to help Haruhi win. She was only here because Haruhi put her in the competition. Do you remember any of the people we met?"

We met too many people. I remembered the American girl, the redhead and the Kunoichi regular. That man with his son who wanted the girls autographs. The officials who helped the girls... I couldn't think of anybody.

"I give up. Could you get on with it?" I asked irritated.

Koizumi sighed. "It had something to do with one of the competitors we met. And from what I am learning from the Agency, is that another entity was there at Kunoichi. They were monitoring and found that the person was not a threat to us or the event, but whoever it was had somehow made Haruhi win."

"Does the Agency know who it was?" I asked

"That's the problem. They almost had a chance to find out who the culprit was, but before they did, their systems crashed. A rare instance I guess. Anyway, I guess we won't know who did it. And I cannot judge anyone susceptible of making Haruhi win. I just thought that you know that."

He got up and started to head back to the room. I stopped him so he could ask me some questions.

"Was there ever a chance Haruhi would lose?" I asked.

He raised his shoulders. "I can only say that based on her determination, she would have won. But if she gave up or lost, we would have a serious problem on our hands."

"And you sure someone helped her? You're not kidding around are you?"

He didn't give me an answer with that straight face as he turned around to head back to the room. That said, based on what his Agency told him, someone had helped Haruhi win. Whoever it was, I'm glad they helped her win and prevented the end of the world. I wasn't going to lose any sleep over whatever special entity helped her.

When I got back to the room before we went to our own rooms for bed, Haruhi again was deciding what the SOS Brigade should do for the rest of the summer vacation since we had that week to get involved in activities before the beginning of school next week. Our vacation lasted us until Saturday, so since we had four more days, Haruhi wanted to explore Tokyo for search of paranormal stuff and other activities in the city. All I did was blend in. Haruhi was so thrilled to be in another city that week that we didn't have nothing to worry about. We all managed to have fun, and the world continued to turn as long as Haruhi was in a happy mood.


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

It was Saturday morning when we went back home. The plane was heading towards home and would land in the next hour. Tired from all the activities that we did in Tokyo, I remember falling asleep on the way back home. I think everyone went to sleep on the plane. When I woke up and we were approaching home, Asahina was the only one up while still reading the ninja magazine Haruhi gave her when we got to Tokyo and Nagato was reading a book as always. Once we landed and got off the plane, we boarded the train back to the city to get off. Haruhi decided to have another celebration for us before school resumed tomorrow on Monday. She told me I didn't have to pay which was a sigh of relief. Tsuruya would have joined, but excused herself and went home for she was still tired from the trip. When we were at the café, Haruhi decided to discuss about what the SOS Brigade would do in the following weeks.

When she had this discussion, my mind drifted away from her conversation. I don't know why, but I felt a sense of something, as if we forgot about something, or rather _I_ had forgot about something. I looked around the café at other patrons and back to our table when I noticed the ninja magazine sitting in front of Asahina. My sense increased as I looked at the magazine, as if it had something to do with whatever I was thinking about until looked around the café again and noticed a man writing in a small memo book. It was then that it dawned on me.

Ever since the beginning of our summer vacation, which started two Saturday's ago, I had homework that was due when we got back and I hadn't even started on it. I put it off so I could rest this summer but that didn't happen since Haruhi dragged us into this championship. Then Haruhi had got my attention when she called my name.

"Kyon, what do you think about that?" she asked.

"A-About what?" I asked. I didn't pay attention to anything she just said.

"I said was there anything else you could think of for us to do? When do you ever pay attention?"

That gave me the chance to speak up. "Hey Haruhi, I don't mean to be rude, but have you finished your homework?" I asked.

When I asked that, I noticed that Koizumi and Asahina looked at me surprised as if they too noticed something was wrong. It hadn't hit either of them that they had homework to finish and forgot about it due to Haruhi's sudden vacation. Nagato just stared at me. _You must have had homework to do Nagato, _I thought, but then again, she had probably did her homework well before Haruhi did. Haruhi, who had been sucking soda through a straw and whose face earlier showed delight suddenly turned to a look that resembled when someone had lost their mind, and she stopped sucking from her straw. I expected her to blow up. Instead, she yelled, "Are you kidding me?" Her yell attracted attention from nearby patrons, "You didn't do your homework? That stuff was very easy. It only took me three days back in July!"

I forgot. Not only was Haruhi athletic and energetic, she was intelligent. I wondered why God couldn't pass the intelligence around, but forgot that God _was_ Haruhi.

"Uh, Miss Suzumiya," Koizumi began and raised his palm, "I haven't finished my homework either. I'm slightly behind."

"Neither have I." Asahina responded.

"..."

Haruhi made a funny look at all of us. I became worried that Haruhi may become upset, so I quickly said, "Let's have a study group at my house to finish our homework. You don't mind do you Haruhi?" I quickly suggested that she joined us and to come tomorrow. I knew I couldn't make decisions and that Haruhi was always in charge, but expecting her to scream in my face or yank my shirt collar, Haruhi sighed and then said, "Then we have a study group on Sunday! Everyone meet at Kyon's house for a study group!" That Sunday, our group managed to finish our homework in time for Monday, while Nagato read a book and Haruhi played video games with my sister. By the end of Sunday night, we had finished our homework. After everyone went home and I went to sleep, that concluded our crazy, Haruhi-certified, summer vacation.

* * *

><p>The day of school came that following Monday and I found myself sitting in the SOS Brigade's clubroom playing Chess with Koizumi after classes ended. Asahina wasn't in the room probably due to classes or cleaning duty. I began to wonder what Haruhi would do when Asahina became a third year student or when she graduated before we did. How would Haruhi react to it, and would someone from Asahina's time period be sent to replace her? Nagato was in the same corner by the window reading a book. The other person that was missing from the room was Haruhi. She had showed up to class and told me she would be there, but that was an hour ago and we were waiting for her to show up. When another ten minutes went by, Asahina finally came in and sat down feeling exhausted. Apparently, she had a busy day in class or cleaning duty was difficult. She put her bag next to her on the floor.<p>

"Where's Miss Suzumiya?" Asahina asked.

"Don't know. She was supposed to be here an hour ago—" I didn't get a chance to finish my sentence once the door to the clubroom slammed open, the already worn door almost close to falling off its hinges. Asahina flinched. "Sorry I'm late!" Haruhi yelled. There she was, the energetic and smiling girl standing in the doorway. Another girl was behind her. "What's up?!" Tsuruya said as she came in behind Haruhi.

I suddenly noticed why Haruhi had been gone for well over an hour, for what it felt like. It wasn't her barging in late or Tsuruya greeting us, but I noticed a large bag hanging from Haruhi's right shoulder. And I guess I should have expected it when Haruhi said to Asahina, "Mikuru, you're not in your maid outfit!"

"I-I'm sorry Miss Suzumiya. I..." Asahina said.

"Don't worry, I got you a new outfit!"

"W-What! Again?" Asahina started trembling.

"No time for resisting! You two, out!" Haruhi said, the two referring to me and Koizumi. We left the room as the door slammed behind Koizumi. I would soon hear the series of screams from Asahina through the door as Haruhi struggled to get her into some new outfit.

15 minutes went by. During the chaotic scene that was occurring in the room, I thought I heard Haruhi say something to Nagato about putting something on. _What was she doing?_ After the noise quieted inside, there was a knock on the door. "You can come in now!" said Haruhi.

I glanced at Koizumi and went to open the door, but before I could get one foot through the door, the sight of the girls before me made me blush but Koizumi only smiled.

Asahina, who was earlier in her school uniform, had transformed into a red satin dress with black trim and a dragon print that extended the left most part of the dress. The dress was tight upon her chest and came with black lace stockings and high heels the color of red. Haruhi must have wrapped her hair into a ponytail. She was holding a small samurai sword—was that real?!—and she had nervousness on her face. Haruhi and Tsuruya had also changed into an identical outfit: Haruhi's was yellow with blue trim and Tsuruya's was blue with yellow trim. Both had ponytails, wore matching black lace stockings and their heels were the color of their dresses. They also branded small samurai swords. What got my immediate attention was Nagato. Haruhi had managed to get her into an outfit different from theirs: a two-piece purple jumpsuit with black trim along the edges. The outfit matched Nagato's lavender colored hair, which Haruhi managed into a small ponytail, and looked identical to what the actress wore in _Kill Bill: Volume 1_. And she too was donning a samurai sword, but hers was longer than the other girls.

"Well?" Haruhi said with a glowing smile on her face.

All four of them had the appearance of ninja warriors, and it was blowing my mind. But they had to hide those swords soon before we all got in trouble!

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><p><strong>AN: I hope this major revision was worth it than the old version. Comment and criticize the heck out of me! One review won't help me improve my writing on future stories if it needs help!**


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